I use D link DWA-123 as my internet wireless adapter. I tested it with Lubuntu 11.10, Ubuntu 12.04 LTS and finally with Kubuntu 12.04 LTS and it always worked out of the box. Unfortunately, it did not work with Mint 11 (an old problem), and now it does not work with LMDE. I hoped it would work with LMDE because of the new kernel, but it is not recognised. I have not installed LDME yet, I run it from a DVD. Any advice, please?

a very quick (and subject to fail ) google search tells me that wireless adapter uses the rt2870sta driver http://wiki.debian.org/rt2870sta removed from from the kernel after the 3.0 series and supported after that by the rt2800usb http://wiki.debian.org/rt2800usb (<in this page you'll find instructions for wheezy, don't know if they are relevant)

Thank you for your answer. Unfortunately, my device (DWA-123) is not listed there, they only include DWA-125, and I know from my previous similar attempt with Mint 11 that it is definitely not the same. I am puzzled that it works fine with Ubuntu-Kubuntu 12.04 LTS, as well as with Mint 12 (Lisa). Perhaps I should just wait for Mint 13 and then finally decide what to do, which system to install instead of my present Mint 11. Cheers!

I don't know if you got a solution, but I have the same problem: my wireless N 150 easy USB adapter DWA-123 also doesn't work with LMDE. This is a new kernel, 3.10-2, but problem persists. I checked it with Debian 7.1 Stable (live on DVD) and it worked perfectly, although Debian has an old kernel, 3.2. It's strange enough! What can be done about it?

When I plug it in, there's no reply. It doesn't turn on. I can see it in terminal with lsusb command, but the device does not activate. And there was the same problem with previous kernel, included in UP-5 and UP-6. I cannot say there is something wrong with my desktop HP 3400 Microtower, because this device worked with Sabayon 11, LM 12, Ubuntu 12.04 and Debian Wheezy 7.1 (all of them running in Live mode), but there is some problem with LMDE installed on the same machine: this device won't run with LMDE on that desktop. What is the problem?

Well, it makes me regret to say that my post, apparently, did not attract much attention here. Unfortunately, the problem persists. First I did the obvious, I checked if I plugged it correctly. That's fine and good. Then someone gave me a tip to try to list more details withdmesgand here is what I got:

Now, I compared firmware between two PCs (both desktops, both LMDE as the only OS, both MATE 1.6 version and both being successfully upgraded to version UP-7). The only difference is that I can work with my device at one of them, and I can't at another. Needless to say that Synaptic showed the same situation: there are the same packages at both of them. Before I decide to stick to my wired connection and forget about wireless internet, for the time being, I'd really appreciate to have some opinion here.True, I still did not try to reinstall firmware-ralink.

Well, I made a fresh and clean re-install, and this apparently solved this problem for me. Though it doesn't make me too proud to say. I don't know about the others, but I can use wireless internet now through the stick described in this topic. So, although LMDE is a rolling (or semi-rolling) distro, it seems recommendable to make a complete re-install, from time to time... (once in 18 months, in my case).